Brother Cush – Psalm 7

Each of us has encountered a Brother Cush or Sister Cush in our lives. Commonly known as a frenemy, it is someone relatively close to us that causes an undue amount of angst and makes us pray more. As before, there is no contextual reference to this chapter, only that which is found in the sub-title, “Cush the Benjamite”, for which I cannot find a corroborating reference. 

Brother Cush – Fighting Words

David, throughout his career, most notably prior to the throne, enemies pursued him, whether Israelites or external foes. After his ascension to the throne, the uprising of his son and his son’s allies was the primary internal threat. This current threat to David was not physical. David was afraid of only a few people, but this verbal assault was quite disturbing. 

Cush apparently parlayed slander against David. Again, there is no context of what the issue was or at what point he was in David’s life. It hurt. It cut David to the core of his being, so much that he took it to God. We can surmise that the reason it hurt so much is that Cush may have been an ally or even a friend. David refers to such a betrayal in a future chapter. No matter the relationship, David was reeling in disappointment. 

David, from what we can read in background information in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, was not a vengeful character, per se. As a warrior, he would gather his forces and take care of necessary business. He would defend the helpless, but he was not one to avenge his own hurt. He gave it to God in this case. “God”, he seemed to say, “this is what he did to me–-please handle it!” 

Thus, these are two important lessons for the reader of this passage. First, words hurt. Words fuel wars, destroy families, and are such powerful weapons that it is a topic covered extensively in both the Old and the New Testaments. Second, God is the final Judge, and it is best for Him to execute judgment no matter the size or cause of the issue. It is a lot safer that way and leaves us out of placing ourselves in the stead of God. There may be a Brother or Sister Cush in your life. Take them to Jesus in prayer–”God, please handle it!”

Prayer

Dear God, we want to love the way You love, and serve the way You serve. Sometimes it is difficult, and almost unbearable. Please handle all the frenemies in our lives, so that we don’t step in Your way. We ask this in the name of Jesus, amen.

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